Venezuela's Maduro blocks access to X in wake of disputed election

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro this week blocked access to social media platform X in the wake of the country's presidential election, which were marred by allegations of fraud and prompted considerable protests.

X owner Elon Musk has heavily criticized the Maduro government and repeatedly compared him to a donkey. Maduro is not a good guy. Venezuela deserves much better," Musk said in another post.

Maduro, for his part, scolded Musk when issuing the ban, insisting he had repeatedly violated the platform's own terms of service.

“Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules of the social network itself,” Maduro said. The Venezuelan leader further signed a proposal to block X for 10 days, The Hill reported.

Maduro was declared the winner of the election in late July, though the U.S. has recognized the opposition's Edmundo González as the legitimate victor. He first took office in 2013. In 2018, he won reelection in a widely criticized contest that led to civil unrest.